The three core concepts that guide my future aspirations in the field of audiovisual archives include: Metadata, digital curation, and information literacy.
The core concept of metadata applies to the documentation of the information. Proper documentation of information allows the information to be made discoverable by future users. In order for the documented information to remain discoverable and accessible to users, withstanding software updates, operating system changes, and other technological advances, the content stored on the back-end of the digital library must be digitally preserved. Digital curation standards and methods help manage and preserve the content over-time on the back-end to ensure its usability in the future. The last core concept, information literacy, applies to users’ skills for finding the information needed, including familiarity with the library and its resources. In the past academic libraries’ special collections and resources have been for library use only, however through digitization, special collections are now more accessible and changing the way one searches for an information need. As a future information professional, I must have a firm grasp of these three principles and concepts that shape the field.